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LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 



019 934 543 6 




ETTERING 




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id=€em^[tmdMQrh^f^4e#eqFS 




■5 qF alphabet s for 5 



*J Card Wri ting- gindL Conr mr erciah^rt^ 



%£Vmi.Hup^ Gordon 



PRICE $2.00 PER COPY 



Copyrighted 1920 by The Signs of the Times Pub. Co. 



APR \2 ia^'Q ©CU56G458 



/ 








PUBLISHED BY 




THE SIGNS OF THE TIMES PUB. 


CO., 




Cincinnati, Ohio 






Publishers of 






SIGNS OF THE TIMES 




The 


National Journal of Display Advertising 




and 




GORDON'S 


LETTERING FOR COMMERCIAL 


PURPOSES 






ONE HUNDRED LESSONS IN LETTERING 



Lesson No. 1 



abcdefg-ABCDEFG 

abcdefg-ABCDEFG 
ahcdefg ABCDEFG 



Sans Serif Utters -^ 'Varicusly termed. Block. 
Bgyfjtian etc. O-or tke. purpose of ClassificatioK 
in this scries of lessons , these and all other 
letters composed of even width elemints «- with or 
without serifs are classed as Gothic. '"^ 

Boman letters arc composed of accented elemen-ts 
or light and heavy strokes in praper arrangement 
"^ 'Jhe heavy strokes in each letter "being known 
as ' Uhe Jlccent '. 

Sext lettering ^ Historically known as '(jot hie" 
from the Style (Gothic in the Jlrts.^ Ciltle use 
is found far fJext lettering in commercial work 
on account of its ilhgibility but several plain- 
modifications vtjy be found valuable. ' — ^ 

blant letters a, regardless of classification are 
known generally as "fftalics " v Ttrom the 
four classes of letters ken mentioned, hundreds 
of Uttar styles may be devised. '^.^ 



f 



These lessons deal chiefly with rapid lettering 
for commercial purposes, as used by modern com- 
mercial artists, show card writers, moving picture 
title writers, etc., and are mostlj" rapid single 
stroke modifications of existing tj-pe stj^es. We 
adopt the printer's terms in classifying the various 
styles. We call attention to the fact that his- 
toricalh' the term Gothic refers to the style Gothic 
in the arts and in lettering involves most all the 
text st^-les and source of the letter stj'les of Roman 
origin, which in classification is more confiising 
than present-day commercial or printer's terms. 

The student or letterer who desires to devise 
or design a certain characteristic style based on 
anjf particular series of letter or type style will 



avoid confusion and difficulty by first learning to 
classif}- anj- given example as being based on a 
certain classification, regardless of its exterior 
treatment or decoration. 

All letters having elementarj' parts composed of 
even width strokes are classed as Gothic. All let- 
ters having elementarj^ parts composed of accented 
strokes are classed as Roman, except the Texts, 
which include Old English, German, Church, Uncial, 
half Uncial, etc., which are all classed as Text. These 
being of an extremeh' illegible character are very 
seldom used commerciall)^ and will receive but 
little attention in this series of lessons, but classi- 
fied simpljr as Text. 

All slant letters are classed as Italics, which 



primarily resembles writing or script. In present- 
ing the subject, text and illustrations of this series 
of lessons in lettering, no attempt has been made 
to cover the historical origin of letter styles or 
methods of production practiced by lettercrafters 
antedating the later generation, for whom the sub- 
ject, art and practice of lettering has been reduced 
to its least common multiple, both in point of 
style and method of production. In brief, the en- 
tire subject and illustrative lessons have been pre- 
pared with the object of eliminating the highly 
technical explanations and difficult methods of pro- 
ducing a class of hand lettering that possesses com- 
mercial value and artistic merit. 

The variety of letter styles and types in common 



ONE HUNDRED LESSONS /JV LETTERING 



T311 



use today simply defies classification or enumera- 
tion. A memorization of the aggregate would be a 
useless burden to assume and would serve but of 
little benefit except to the printer. 

In order to simplify the proposition as it ap- 
pears in these lessons we call attention to the fact 
that from a common basic principle have been 
evolved four different styles or four elementary 
classifications upon which are variously con- 
structed all the letter styles or alphabets in com- 
mon use by letterers, printers, sign painters, de- 
signers and engravers. 

These four classifications are now known as 
Gothic, Roman, Text and Italic, Capital and Small 
Letters, which the printers term Upper Case and 
Lower Case, in the order named. These are shown 
and the principles explained in direct contrast in 
Plate 1. These examples are used as a comparative 
medium and are not to be copied in this lesson — but 
studied thoroughly for future reference. 



^^rSik. 




Proper method for holding 
the lettering pen 



The tools and materials needed by a lettercrafter 
are few, but they must be of best quality, espe- 
cially the brushes. The lettering brushes used by 
expert show card writers and commercial artists 
are known as red sable riggers, which range in 
size from No. 4 to No. 20. Smaller than No. 4 are 
useless, as they will not retain their shape or 
point. Riggers are round brushes, but shaped to 
a flat chisel edge point in a dab of color on a scrap 
of cardboard, which takes the place of a palette. 
If the ferrule is of metal it should be wrapped with 
waxed linen thread, which eliminates gripping of 
the fingers. To secure best results a brush should 
be held nearly vertical, either between the thumb 
and index finger or the thumb, first and second 
fingers. This is a matter of individual preference, 
but in either case the vertical position should be 
maintained. Note illustration showing how to hold 
a brush. 

For brush work any good brand of ready to use 
show card colors answers all ordinary purposes. 
Waterproof or ordinary India ink is fine for pen 
work, but too expensive. Heretofore, good jet 
black lettering ink was hard to procure at any 
price. A welcome addition to the letterer's kit is 
the new tar black Speedball lettering ink specially 
adapted for use in lettering pens. 

Pens required by modern letterers, show card 
writers and students are, one set, five sizes. Style A 
Speedball pens ; one set, five sizes of Style B Speed- 
ball pens ; one set of eleven sizes, Hunt's No. 400 
lettering pens ; No. 71 music writers, and a selection 
of Hunt's stub pens for extra fine work or trim- 
ming up letters. 

No rule of applied spacing measurements proves 
practical in the spacing of hand lettering. There 
are three general arrangements of spacing — or- 
dinary, close (or condensed), and wide extended. 
In ordinary spacing approximately one-quarter to 
one-third the width of a letter is allowed for space. 
The narrow letters are allowed more space than 
the full width letters and ovals. 



Condensed spacing is resorted to to conserve space, 
also there are many styles of lettering that read 
better and present a more artistic appearance when 
condensed than wide spaced; wide spacing often 
denotes emphasis. In either event we endeavor to 
preserve a uniform tone in both the page of let- 
tering and the background. The height of the 
extenders, as a rule, determines the width of space 
between the lines. Do not attempt to crowd too 
many letters in a given space. We can forgive a 
stretch of wide letter spacing to fill a space, but a 
bunch of crowded letters at the end of a line or 
page will ruin the general appearance of an other- 
wise good job. 

The safest way is to make a quick preliminary 
pencil layout or sketch of the copy in which the 
errors of spacing may be corrected during the ink- 
ing up process. 




Vertical position for using 
the lettering brush 



Copyrighted 1920 by The Signs of the Times Pub. Co. 



ONE HUNDRED LESSONS IN LETTERING 




Lesson No. 2 



We have the 
easiest and 



The Music Staff 



contains 



16 By pencil ruling a music statt 



C scale - of any desired heig'hf 



5 Lines- y ^ ^ spaces high-witli 5 lines ^ 



most correct 
scale. fan 



and 4- Spaces 

uerreRED upward. 



numbered downward — TWO? - 



the alignment 
of a ll s mal' 



letters in the 
alphabet in reading" 



m 



"To see clearly is difficult. A thing happens in 
only one way, yet a hundred witnesses w^ill describe 
it in a hundred w^ays. Shakespeare, emperor among 
w^riters, used comparison to make you *see' w^hat he 
meant." 

Comparison, not exaggerated or overdone, is a 
good working tool. By it we remember things most 
clearly. It is the most faithful servant of the artist 
or the artisan. 

By comparison w^e classify letter styles, and as 
a certain method of preparing guide lines for the 
proper alignment and arrangement of letters w^e use 
the ever-familiar music staff — five lines and four 
spaces — as show^n in Plate 2. 



In music to distinguish tones w^e use seven let- 
ters, c, d, e, f, g, a, b. To represent them in writing 
w^e use the notes w^hich are either w^hite or black; 
these letters are repeated in this order through the 
whole system of tones. The notes are placed on and 
betw^een five lines draw^n one above the other, called 
the staff. For those notes for w^hich the staff does 
not suffice w^e use the so-called added or leger lines, 
upon, above and below^ w^hich the notes are placed. 

An enlarged edition of this music staff may be 
pencil ruled in any size to suit the requirements or 
heights of the letters to be made. 



j Cap line 
2 Top line 



^ Basf> Imp 



ONE HUNDRED LESSONS IN LETTERING 

Lesson No. 3 

These "small" leffers'" are "BW 



:a L 




^ 



DESCENDER lirifi _ These letters, bein^ composed of uniform widfh sfrokes are classed 



BESESSSAeS 



as GOTHIC — Either wtfh or wifhouf Serifs, as here illusfrated. 



f- 

2 

3 

^- 



The small letters (lower case) , a, c, e, i, m, n, o, 
r, s, u, V, w, X and z, occupy the two center spaces of 
the staff betw^een lines 2 and 4. Line No. 3 is the 
w^aist line, indicating the parallel center of the small 
letter. 



Pencil rule a fine line staff w^ith one-fourth inch 
spaces. Pencil sketch the forms of the letters and 
ink over w^ith a style B Speedball lettering pen, using 
a firm, vigorous stroke. Keep the flat bill of the pen 
evenly engaging the vsrriting surface. 



Copyrighted 1920 by The Signs of the Times Pub. Co. 



ONE HUNDRED LESSONS IN LETTERING 

Lesson No. 4 



The elemen+ary principles of Go+hic letters 

i| ^#3% 4- Ar .A _C •^e 



I VH ed rum " >i e i g'fil^ " ext e n d ed ' " i e'fte rs above' to p" 11 n e 



Ascenders -♦ 





_ J5 e sc e n d e r^ :-♦ 



.m(?.diun.i...dr.op...Qf..e_jctend.e<iiettejis.J3elQYy bdseJJrie 



Pencil rule a staff with one-fourth inch spaces. 
Pencil sketch the elementary principles of Gothic 
letters, 1 to 9. TTiese elements virtually constitute 
the basic principles of all letter forms. 



Pencil rule an enlarged staff on practice paper, 
one-half inch spaces, and enlarge the elements to fit 
the space. Ink trace the pencil-sketched elements 
with the lettering pen. 



I oil 



ONE HUNDRED LESSONS IN LETTERING 



Lesson No. 5 



-| Capi-fal line 

: Ag j pay 

^ DESCENDER ImP^^ 0^ I I ^ 



Small letters "that ascend 
above -fhe -fop line * 2. are 



f+he same heiVht as 
th e CA P ITA L S 



Small leffers 4 hal extend 



ne *2 - Calle d " A scenders' | 



below the base line are 

DESCENDED ona space below ba;^. Iiner-Ne^ 



r.amtal aivl fimall letters which as cend above top line *2 - Called "A s cender 

Ahd f h i< m 



Small letters (lower case), g, j, p, q, y, which 
extend below the base line, No. 4, are called De- 
scenders. Small letters, b, d, f, h, k, 1, t, which ex- 
tend above the top line. No. 2, are called Ascenders. 
In either case, w^here the extended letters do not ex- 
ceed one space in size or drop half the height of 
the small letters, they are called medium extended 
letters. 

Copyrighted 1920 by The Signs of the Times Pub. Co. 



Pencil rule a |-inch staff and reproduce these 
characters in pencil sketch, after w^hich they should 
be inked up with lettering pen. 

Enlarge to ^-inch space staff. Repeat as often 
as necessary for practice. 

Capital letters (upper case), are ascenders, 
having the same base line. No. 4, as small letters and 
the same height as the ascenders, line 1, of the staff. 



ONE HUNDRED LESSONS IN LETTERING 

Lesson No. 6 

.^dded. JLae. for. e><,+ra JugK Cripitab- aod. -ascendaris.. H-ig^ iAsceadsc _ 

[ Capifal <^nd a'^r.endp.r Imp 



Hjgli Capjtdl. 




DESCENDER ling> - 



Added_imi»_ fir_ low descenders, low 



Here we have the staff with added or leger 
lines, which are used only in case high ascenders or 
low descenders are called for. 

Frequently we have lettering in w^hich the de- 
sign calls for high ascenders and medium descend- 
ers, or vice versa. 

Pencil a ^-inch staff v/ith leger lines for high 



ascenders and low^ descenders. Letter the exercises 
as show^n. 

Pencil a staff w^ith upper leger line for high 
ascenders and medium descenders. Letter the ex- 
ercises as shov/n. 

Pencil a staff for medium ascenders and low 
descenders, and letter the exercises as shown. 



ONE HUNDRED LESSONS IN LETTERING 

Lesson No. 7 



TJ.7/ 

•a L 




Linfi e. *b and spac e f- of f he m usic^aia ff a r e l e ff blank- Naf-u.<tsd m making C-APITAL LFTTERS mixed with small letters. 5 



The Gothic capitals (upper case) are the same 
height as ascenders. In making a Hne of lettering 
containing all capital letters the staff principle of 
alignment may be dispensed with, as all that is neces- 
sary is a top and base guide line, but whenever a line 
of lettering contains both caps and small letters, or 
all small letters, the staff arrangement is necessary. 

Copyrighted 1920 by The Signs of the Times Pub. Co. 



Pencil a top and base line |-inch apart, sketch 
the forms of the capitals w^ith pencil, then trace w^ith 
lettering pen. Arrow^s show^ the direction in w^hich 
the strokes should be made. 

Try the experiment w^ith top and base line one 
inch apart, then 1^ inches apart. 



ONE HUNDRED LESSONS IN LETTERING 

Lesson No. 8 




-^..The_4>laio-GOTHIC-4l-etl:£cs.,of.unLfQrm_widtk^frQke)___.wii:KiKe..^ddjfioQif._serjfs^.whi^ 



This is the same proposition as Lesson 7, but 
beginning with the capital R serifs have been added 
to the letters, which changes their appearance, but 
not the basic principle. Serifs are sometimes called 
"spurs" or "plugs" by show card and sign writers, 



consequently a Gothic letter finished in this manner, 
w^ith a round or square terminal or sharp pointed 
serif w^ould be called a spur or plug Gothic. 1 he 
principles of serifs are illustrated and explained in 
Lessons 10 and 11. 



■f 



8^ 



ICapline &.^^j^smal[ 
2 Top linp. of fimal 



AC 

ONE HUNDRED LESSONS IN LETTERING 

Lesson No. 9 

2- b dfhkli - alqn all CAPITAL LETTERS 



. aarpnfl .=ibQve the re g-ular fo p 



letfftra 



^ Waifi-I- line of gmall letters 
^ Ba ?f> line of small leffera 



B 



_aiid_oij^LL_CAM:aLS. 



J^ 5 DESCENDER line -fnn qmali letferQ which EXTEND heklvy-ilie_ceg:ulajLJbas.€ 



orxJT'ri [)ny ; 



Pencil line a scale, ^-inch spaces, 10-inch long 
and letter the word "Photography" in a space 
five inches long. Letter the same word in the re- 
maining five inches ; to the second add the serifs. 

Pencil a scale ^-inch spaces, 10-inch long, and 

Copyrighted 1920 by The Signs of the Times Pub. Co. 



letter the same word in the entire 10-inch space. 
This will be a spacing exercise with a word begin- 
ning with a capital and containing ordinary small 
letters, medium ascenders and descenders. 



ONE HUNDRED LESSONS IN LETTERING 



Lesson No. 10 







hLn 



-^S^ 



Webster defines the "ceriph" or "serif" as one 
of the fine lines crossing a letter at the top or bottom, 
as of I. In the original Roman letter the serifs are 
sharp pointed and rounded gracefully in the angle 
formed by the vertical element. Note Fig. 1 and 2. 

Fig. 3 shows a serif gracefully formed writh a 
curved line and rounded into the vertical. 



Fig. 4, square terminal heavy line serif. 

Fig. 5, a compound curve serif rounded into 
the vertical. 

Examples 1 to 5 are illustrations of different 
serifs on Roman letters. 



ONE HUNDRED LESSONS IN LETTERING 

Lesson No. 11 



T3V/ 




Hn 1 




Q 



lO 



11 




Fig. 6 is called a "swash serif." It is used prin- 
cipally where speed is an essential. These may be 
easily made in outline with small sizes of lettering 
pens, or in single strokes w^ith Hunt's 400, or single 
stroke lettering brushes. 

Fig. 7 is the heavy square terminal serif Gothic 
letter. Use Style A Speedball pen. 

Fig. 8 is the heavy round terminal Gothic letter. 
Use a Style B pen. 

. Copyrighted 1920 by The Signs of the Times Pub. Co. 



Fig. 9 is a light face Roman letter, sharp serif, 
sw^ash terminal on the n. Use Hunt's 400 Pen No. 2. 

Fig. 10 is characteristic Roman letter, medium 
heavy serif sloped, not rounded into the vertical. Use 
medium fine rigger brush. 

Fig. 11 is a Roman Italic sharp serif, swrash 
terminal on the n, for w^hich a music pen or Hunt's 
400 No. 2i pen is used. 



f- 



2:- 

3- 



ONE HUNDRED LESSONS IN LETTERING 

Lesson No. 12 



I 



fflffleosa^aDCfflinp ini nGp^^ 



I-- 

-2- 

-4- 
-5-- 



Condensed, single stroke Gothic lower case, 
made with a No. 4 or No. 5 Style B Speedball. 



1. Rule a :^-inch space staff, 10-inch long; pen- 
cil sketch the copy as show^n and ink trace same. 



2. Rule a ^-inch space staff, 10 -inch long; use 
copy up to letter K. 

3. Rule another ^-inch space staff, 10 -inch 
long; begin with K and space out to character & in 
10 -inch space. 



ONE HUNDRED LESSONS IN LETTERING 

Lesson No. 13 



T27/ 




Single stroke, round terminal serif Gothic. This 
is the same letter as Lesson 12, changed in style and 
appearance by using a larger pen and adding serifs. 
Any of the serifs sho-wn in Lessons 10 and 11 could 
be added to this alphabet in place of the one shown. 
If the operator masters a single stroke Gothic alpha- 
bet thoroughly it is simply a question of adding dif- 
ferent style serifs to the entire alphabet. Where this 

Copyrighted 1920 by The Signs of the Times Pub. Co. 



can be accomplished without copying or mixing the 
styles the operator may claim the ability to make as 
many different alphabets as the different style serifs 
used, as all Gothic alphabets have the same basic 
principle, and are formed by a combination of the 
same elements. The change in style appearance is 
caused by the serifs. 



ONE HUNDRED LESSONS IN LETTERING 

Lesson No. 14 




All letters or alphabets made on a slant are 
generally called Italics. Thus we have four classifi- 
cations of Italics based on the Gothic, Roman, Text 
and the true Italics which partake more of the script 
character, w^hich w^ill be taken up later. 

The above copy is a plain single stroke Gothic 
Italic almost identical w^ith Lesson 13, except the 



slant and a slight change in the g and k, w^hich is a 
matter of personal preference. TTiese letters should 
be pencil sketched and inked up on a ^ and ^-inch 
staff. In order to preserve a uniform degree of slant 
w^e indicate the desired degree by penciling a series 
of guide lines on the staff, using an adjustable head 
T-square. 



ONE HUNDRED LESSONS IN LETTERING 

Lesson No. 15 



r 37 





Showing the upper case Gothic in contrast of 
vertical and slant, same style serifs. Top and base 
line staff will be the only necessary guide lines for 



these caps; if necessary a waist or center paralle 
line may be used as a practice guide, which helps de 
termine the parallel centers of oval elements. 



1 



Copyrighted 1920 by The Signs of the Times Pub. Co. 



ONE HUNDRED LESSONS IN LETTERING 

Lesson No. 16 




smvwxYZ^ 



Gothic poster style in which a change of ap- Pencil sketch characters and ink in with a No. 2 
pearance is effected by making the vertical and hori- Style B Speedball pen. Repeat, using a |-inch space 
zontal elements slightly curved instead of straight. and a No. 1 Style B pen. Place one-half the alpha- 
Make ^-inch space top and base guide lines. bet in a 10-inch space. 






ONE HUNDRED LESSONS IN LETTERING 

Lesson No. 17 




S( 



/t.bcuefqhuklmn: r_T ~_~ ~__ poster rsxy.uE. c5dtmic.'. :_ r-opaRsTavzvA/xidvx 



Another poster style Gothic made easily and pen. Note the oval elements are flat on the top. 
quickly with a No. 3 Style A square point Speedball 

Copyrighted 1920 by The Signs of the Times Pub. Co. 



ONE HUNDRED LESSONS IN LETTERING 

Lesson No. 18 




The selection of a letter style or alphabet must 
be determined only after careful consideration or 
knowledge of what manner of pens or brushes may 
be best utilized in the construction of the elementary 
strokes. The characteristic style of this letter, 
"which is practically a single stroke Gothic with 
serifs, is effected or rather imposed by the pen w^ith 
which it w^as made, a No. 4 Style A Speedball, 



w^hich w^hen held and operated in normal position 
(pointing tow^ard the upper left hand corner of the 
page) produces a diamond shape dot, or the terminal 
of every stroke is a sharp point. 

Pencil a scale ^-inch spaces; proceed as in mak- 
ing ordinary spur Gothic. The pen suggested w^ill 
produce the desired result. This style letter is very 
effective w^hen close spaced or condensed. 



ONE HUNDRED LESSONS IN LETTERING 

Lesson No. 19 



T31I 




Capitals for Lesson 18, ^-inch space between top and base guide lines. 



Copyrighted 1920 by The Signs of the Times Pub. Co. 



ONE HUNDRED LESSONS IN LETTERING 

Lesson No. 20 




This alphabet depicts how a change in style 
may be effected by trimming up the ordinary single 
stroke Gothic with a different set of spurs, or serifs. 
In this case we proceed as with plain Gothic and add 
a compound curve serif, as show^n in Fig. 5, Lesson 



10. Using a No. 3 Style B Speedball pen throughout 
the operation gives us the heavy blunt effect instead 
of the fine point compound curve serif. Use a staff 
vv^ith ^:-inch spaces. 



7 5^7/ 



ONE HUNDRED LESSONS IN LETTERING 

Lesson No. 21 




1 



Proceed as in Lesson 20, using a ^-inch space Repeat with a ^-inch space staff, using a No. 2 

staff. B Speedball pen. 

Copyrighted 1920 by The Signs of the Times Pub. Co. 



ONE HUNDRED LESSONS IN LETTERING 

Lesson No. 22 




Sho"wing a squatty effect in ^-inch space staff, 
using a No. 4 Style B Speedball. Reproduce this cut, 
then enlarge to Jr-inch space staff, 10-inch long, in 



which space sketch and space the first 18 letters ot 
the alphabet. 

Repeat with the second 13 letters. 



T37/ 

ONE HUNDRED LESSONS IN LETTERING Q^ ^ 

Lesson No. 23 



n3^F567S9T5^I23-^e7890 



These are quick single stroke Gothic numerals the pens suggested in the lesson. For size use the 
to match any of the preceding letter lessons, using same guide lines as the capitals to match. 

Copyrighted 1920 by The Signs of the Times Pub. Co. 



1- 

-3- 

4 



ONE HUNDRED LESSONS IN LETTERING 

Lesson No. 24 





Having mastered the plain and serifed single 
stroke Gothic we introduce the single stroke Roman 
elements and letters. In the Gothic we have even 
w^idth strokes throughout. In the Roman the shape 
of the basic principle elements is identical w^ith the 
Gothic, the difference being in the accent, namely, 



light and heavy lines. The heavy lines are called the 
accent. The construction and forms of the letters 
are identical with Gothic. The production of these 
elements is easily effected by pens adapted to the 
automatic production of the strokes, such as Hunt's 
400 lettering pens or the music pens. 



T 311 



ONE HUNDRED LESSONS IN LETTERING 

Lesson No. 25 



4- - 



/^//i 




Pen rn Posiiion I 




frf S- 'y'f6 F/g,7 



F'g.8 



F/f9 



-^^l£l 





// 



Win: 

_ _ _ K-^ ^x 



/vjr /£> f,g 



■N-At 



n^r^ Pen Position 

m ferficii fios^ir/an 



Pen positions 1, 2, 3 and Figs. 1, 2, 10 and 11 
primarily determined where the accent should ap- 
pear on Roman letters. 

Nowadays, in making Roman capitals, w^e use 
all down strokes, either w^ith a pen or brush. 

The first makers of Roman letters used a reed 
or quill pen fashioned with a broad flat nib, held in 
a nearly vertical position. The letters were written 
w^ith this device. Beginning w^ith the letter A the 
first stroke vv^as made upw^ard w^ith the narrow^ edge 
of the pen. The second stroke was a dov/nw^ard 
stroke from left to right. The broad point of the 

Copyrighted 1920 by The Signs of the Times Pub. Co. 



pen engages the w^riting surface, making a broad 
stroke. The cross bar and serifs w^ere parallel lines 
made from left to right writh the narrow^ edge. This 
arrangement of accent carries through the entire al- 
phabet, w^ith a single exception, the middle stroke of 
the z, w^hich is made dow^nw^ard from right to left 
w^ith the broad point, in heavy line. 

In making single stroke Roman letters w^ith 
either a flat pen or brush, holding positions 1 and 2, 
produced accents in different places on the same let- 
ter automatically. The results are different style 
letters, of the same classification, Roman (see Les- 
sons 26 and 27). 



ONE HUNDRED LESSONS IN LETTERING 

Lesson No. 26 



^:&C:f(i:M:%F\M 




m-n 



Rule ^-inch space staff, 10-inch long; proceed 
as with the usual Gothic operation, but using a Hunt 
No. 2^ lettering pen held in normal writing position. 
A horizontal stroke from left to right, or right to left 
produces a thin line, as only the narrow chisel edge 
of the pen engages the w^riting surface. A dow^n- 
w^ard vertical stroke, or dow^nw^ard stroke from left 
to right produces an "accented" or heavy line. When 



the narrow^ chisel edge of the pen is parallel ^vith the 
top line a downw^ard stroke on the oval or circular 
elements automatically produces a gradually in- 
creasing w^idth of line until the parallel center of the 
oval is reached, then a gradually decreasing thick- 
ness of line when the stroke approaches the base line, 
either on right or left oval elements. 



ONE HUNDRED LESSONS IN LETTERING 

Lesson No. 27 



T 37/ 

.61 ^ 



p.qir. s:-:t u :^\ w. xy.-^ 



When the narrow chisel edge of the pen is held 
on an angle "with the top line the heaviest portions of 
the stroke or accent are reached on the lower left and 
upper right portions of the stroke below and above 
parallel center; consequently, different holding posi- 
tions of this pen produce different characteristics in 

Copyrighted 1920 by The Signs of the Times Pub. Co. 



a letter and if such positions are maintained through- 
out the process of making an entire alphabet, nat- 
urally the entire character of the alphabet is mate- 
rially changed. Note elementary principles, Les- 
sons 24 and 25, Fig. 1, Fig. 2. 



ONE HUNDRED LESSONS IN LETTERING 

Lesson No. 28 



^M:(zM-:(z 




Hij-Mmn 



This example is the finished single stroke Ro- ters in 10-inch space. Use Hunt's No. 2\ lettering 
man, serifs attached. pen. 

Rule ^-inch space staff and reproduce the let- 



ONE HUNDRED LESSONS IN LETTERING 

Lesson No. 29 



T37/ 




HSrt 




The remainder of the single stroke Roman ai- Rule ^-inch space staff and reproduce with let- 

phabet. tering pen. 



Copyrighted 1920 by The Signs of the Times Pub. Co. 



ONE HUNDRED LESSONS IN LETTERING 

Lesson No. 30 






TTie single stroke Roman upper case (capitals) . 
The holding position of pen must continually be 
changed in making these characters with serifs at- 
tached. In the A, K, M, V, W, X, and Y we have a 
hair-line stroke draw^n dow^nward from right to left, 
and in the N tw^o vertical hair lines. In order to 



make these strokes the pen must be held nearly ver- 
tical by advancing the holder forw^ard of the knuckle 
joint, and turning the narrov^ chisel edge of pen to 



a vertical position, 
pen. 



Use a Hunt No. 2t or a music 




ONE HUNDRED LESSONS IN LETTERING 

Lesson No. 31 
f — I — y 






TUVWXYZ4 



In adding serifs to Roman letters a short par- 
allel hair line should be drawn across the top and 
base of the vertical elements; additional strokes are 
required to round the serifs into the vertical. It w^ill 
be found more difficult in attaching serifs to the hair 
line elements than to the accented strokes in both 

Copyrighted 1920 by The Signs of the Times Pub. Co. 



caps and small letters, especially where the broad 
sizes of pens are used. 

There is a knack of tw^isting the pen point up 
on its edge to be acquired. Intelligent and persistent 
practice is required in this feature. 



ONE HUNDRED LESSONS IN LETTERING 



Lesson No. 32 




This is also a single stroke Roman letter, iden- 
tical in principle with that shown in Lessons 28 and 
29, but in this case we change the appearance by 



the substitution of compound curve serifs, as show^n 
in Fig. 5, Lesson 10. Use a music pen or Hunt's 400 
No. 2. 



ONE HUNDRED LESSONS IN LETTERING 

Lesson No. 33 



t 3 7/ 




Continuation of the alphabet shown in Lesson 
32. It will be advantageous to practice on these les- 
sons on different w^idths of space staffs, using differ- 
ent sizes of lettering pens. On a small scale staff 

Copyrighted 1920 by The Signs of the Times Pub. Co. 



use small pens. No. 1 pen is the largest size, No. 1^ 
next, No. 2 next, and so on dow^n to No. 6, w^hich is 
the smallest size. 



ONE HUNDRED LESSONS IN LETTERING 

Lesson No. 34 




Single stroke Roman capitals on the same prin- pound curve serifs to match the small letters shown 
ciple as Lessons 30 and 31. These have the com- in Lessons 32 and 33. 



ONE HUNDRED LESSONS IN LETTERING 

Lesson No. 35 



T3V 




Continuation of the compound curve serif, single stroke Roman capitaL 



Copyrishted 1920 by The Signs of the Times Pub. Co. 



ONE HUNDRED LESSONS IN LETTERING 

Lesson No. 36 




7^ 4r 



't A 



apmapqrsteo^^ 




A unique style variation of the single stroke 
Roman letter accomplished by condensed spacing 
and narrowing the letters. 



TTie serifs are of the s^vash variety, as shown 
in hig. 6, of Lesson 11. Roman capitals should be 
used in connection w^ith this alphabet. 



ONE HUNDRED LESSONS IN LETTERING 

Lesson No. 37 







us^wa 




Another Roman variant, squatty in appear- 
ance, with high ascenders and lo-w descenders. 

When the ascenders and descenders equal the 
normal height of the small letters they are termed 
"High and Lov/." 

When they are but half the height of the small 



letters, occupying but one space of a five-line staff, 
they are termed "Medium." 

When they exceed the height of small letters 
they are "Extra High and Low." 

Use Roman capitals to match. 



Copyrighted 1920 by The Signs of the Times Pub. Co. 



ONE HUNDRED LESSOK^ .N LETTERING 

Lesson No. 38 




cara text 



This is a characteristic variation of single stroke 
Roman that is very popular with shov/card writers 
on account of its adaptability to speedy execution. 
It is one of the few^ letter styles that permit of a ju- 
dicious mixture of principles, namely, Roman and 
text. The text styles admit of sharp angle terminals 



w^hich sometimes take the place of serifs. As these 
are more easily and rapidly made than regular serifs 
much time is saved in the making of copy. Also the 
Roman characteristic adds to the legibility of the 
text principles; hence, its popularity. These letters 
are made w^ith Hunt's No. 400 lettering pens. 



ONE HUNDRED LESSONS IN LETTERING 

Lesson No. 39 







Another rapid variation of single stroke Roman 
lower case, strictly single stroke in this instance as 
the elements and swashy serifs are a continuation of 

Copyrighted 1920 by The Signs of the Times Pub. Co. 



the same stroke from beginning to end. 

Any light face single stroke Roman capital 
may be used with this style letter. 



ONE HUNDRED LESSONS IN LETTERING 

Lesson No. 40 



il/\ikC)l c'y tmsabq 



Showing the elementary strokes of the popular 
single stroke show card w^riter's Roman Italic. This 
is a speed exercise and the persistent practice of 
these elements w^ill be found most beneficial in the 
production of various styles of fast lettering. Per- 
fect uniformity of slant is necessary in all Italics. 

Use a free combined muscular and finger move- 



ment as prescribed by the most successful teachers 
of penmanship. 

It may be w^ell to remember that either pen or 
brush lettering as used by most successful showr card 
w^riters is practically w^ritten, not draw^n by labori- 
ous methods. 

For this reason a letterer of show^ cards is called 
a show card w^riter. 



ONE HUNDRED LESSONS IN LETTERING 

Lesson No. 41 



T31 1 




This number is one of the most popular Italic 
pen alphabets used by show card writers the w^orld 
over, as it admits of the greatest speed in execution. 
It is strictly a single stroke letter, requires no subse- 
quent retouching, as w^hat serifs appear are made as 



the beginning and ending of the letter strokes. TTiese 
letters should be practiced on different scale size 
staffs, using different size lettering pens. Pencil 
slant guide lines to preserve uniformity of slant 
throughout. 



Copyrighted 1920 by The Signs of the Times Pub. Co. 



SWHM 



ONE HUNDRED LESSONS IN LETTERING 

Lesson No. 42 




The capitals to match small letters shown in Lesson 41, called Show Card Italic Capitals. 



ONE HUNDRED LESSONS IN LETTERING 

Lesson No. 43 



/ o // 

1^ (s 



opaRsmwwmmym 



Continuation of the alphabet "Show Card Italic tivate a uniform degree of slant in making Italics 

Capitals. " This alphabet should be practiced faith- pencil in slant guide lines on your practice paper and 

fully and Avith increasing speed, in various dimen- conform all vertical elements to as nearly the same 

sions, using different sizes of pens. In order to cul- degree as possible. 

Copyrighted 1920 by The Signs of the Times Pub. Co. 



ONE HUNDRED LESSONS IN LETTERING 

Lesson No. 44 




This is another style Roman Italic, showing a dif- 
ferent and more classic style than the Show Card 
Italic. Note a less degree of slant, which for practice 



should be preceded by pencil slant guide lines of uni- 
form degree medium extenders. 
For capitals see Lesson 71. 



ONE HUNDRED LESSONS IN LETTERING 

Lesson No. 45 



T57/ 



mcoMm 



Another Roman Italic of artistic merit, slight 
degree of slant. 



Copyrighted 1920 by The Signs of the Times Pub. Co 



Rule a staff with leger lines for high and lo-w 
ascenders and descenders. 

For capitals see Lesson 71. 



ONE HUNDRED LESSONS IN LETTERING 



Lesson No. 46 




:?f 



V\\ JL it JV ik 



^^F^ 



^ 



w 



-^r^T 



i I 
I I 



-4-4- 



l^-^.U /> 



^ 



! Iv y! k ^ L v! ! 



• I 



v'\.-' 



This illustration is for a comparative example 
showing the outlined or modeled form of lo^ver case 
Roman (small letters). 

Hundreds of styles are derived from the letters 
classed as Roman ; they bear various type names too 
numerous to mention. 



On this style letter w^e base all modifications 
of single stroke Roman. 

Sketch staff and letter forms, after which ink 
in with a No. 5 Style A Speedball pen. These letters 
are not filled in in the copy in order to show outline 
method. i 



ONE HUNDRED LESSONS IN LETTERING 



Lesson No. 47 



'^ o 



o|K]rs( ^Ff^ 




<r- 






1 — '=^^^^T^^~~^rp^ 



-^:r-^ 






J^ 



.! \ 



v^ 



Ti^ 



^ *■ —- 



I w 



\^' 



// 



^.' '>v 



Continuation of the alphabet shown in Lesson outhnes may be filled in with a larger pen or fine 
46. Proceed as designated therein, after w^hich the brush. 



Copyrighted 1920 by The Signs of the Times Pub. Co. 



ONE HUNDRED LESSONS IN LETTERING 

Lesson No. 48 






" ; ' ' /' ' ■» 




\ 


' ^ 


V » ' / * 




/ ;->-'-•: ;-" --r.^ • /-->;._ V 


























*^ - ' 


1 ■■'^ ; 1 




V \\ .-\ \ y': k '•-' i \ /^ ^^-i 



The upper case Roman (capitals) to match 
Lessons 46 and 47. 

It will be noted that Roman capitals occupy a 
space that is nearly square, with the exceptions of 
M and W, which are a fraction wider. The oval let- 



ters all occupy a full space. The B, E, F, I, J, L, P, 
R and S are a fraction narrow^er than their neigh- 
bors. 

Sketch staff and letters, outline with ink and 
fill in. 



ONE HUNDRED LESSONS IN LETTERING 



:-A L 




f ,' 


— "v^ — >" — '"^ — 


i 




' ~ » 


'. '■ "i ' ) 


■""V" 


'/' 


'■f ■•. •', 








^' 


/ '/ ^*^ 




*, * \ ' 






• 


' . ' \ \ 




\ 'v' 


/'/' 




\':.^ 




i \ _' / • 






\' • . ..' 






' ', **/ 


V 




il 


',:'. ..- 





-,r? 



Continuation of the alphabet shown in Lesson 
48. Pens are a much faster medium than brushes on 
all letters not exceeding one inch in height. Small 
brushes are exceedingly difficult to manipulate, 



owing to the absence of the feel of contact with the 
w^riting surface, consequently much greater speed 
may be attained on small lettering by the use of 
proper style lettering pens. 



Copyrighted 1920 by The Signs of the Times Pub. Co. 



ONE HUNDRED LESSONS IN LETTERING 

Lesson No. 50 




mno 




We will now take up brush lettering. The staff 
principle of ruling alignment is the same as for pen 
w^ork. 

A cheap brush means a like class of w^ork no 
matter how great the operator's skill. The best let- 
tering brushes for w^ater colors are of red sable, 
called "Riggers." For oil or Japan colors, camel hair 
quill brushes are used. The show^ card w^riter w^ho 
know^s his business never uses oil or Japan colors. 



They are too slow^ in the production of letters. Any 
of the popular brands of show card colors are good. 
They are all called Distemper Colors, meaning, col- 
ors ground in w^ater with sufficient gum arabic or 
mucilage added to prevent rubbing when dry and to 
insure a free, even stroke of the brush, to cover in 
one stroke. Special mention of proper materials is 
made elsewhere in these lessons. 



ONE HUNDRED LESSONS IN LETTERING 

Lesson No. 51 







The alphabet shown in Lessons 50 and 51 is 
practically the same as the first pen lessons, single 
stroke Gothic. In this case we use a No. 4 Rigger, 
round ferrule. Successful brush w^ork requires that 



the brush, which is round, shall be worked out to a 
flat chisel edge in the color, w^hich should be suffi- 
ciently gummy to retain the brush in chisel shape. 
See illustration on how to hold a brush correctly. 



Copyrighted 1920 by The Signs of the Times Pub. Co. 



ONE HUNDRED LESSONS IN LETTERING 

Lesson No. 52 




This example sho^vs the single stroke Gothic 
capitals to match the preceding lessons. An indi- 
viduality is added to these letters by using full 
rounded curves instead of ovals on all letters con- 
taining oval elements. Likewise individuality is ap- 
parent in the vertical element letters by condensing 



or narrow^ing the Vk^idth; also the cross lines in B, E, 
F, G, H, N, P and R are above center. 

Rule guide lines f inch apart, and on practice 
paper rule guide lines one inch apart and 1^ inch. 
Practice these letters in different sizes. 



ONE HUNDRED LESSONS IN LETTERING 



Lesson No. 53 



T 311 




Continuation of the single stroke brush Gothic 
with a few variations in which the w^ide ovals are 
narrowed. The base of the S enlarged, the vertical 



of the G shortened, the base of the E lengthened. 

In making single stroke Gothic letters the brush 
is rolled between the thumb and index finger. 



Copyrighted 1920 by The Signs of the Times Pub. Co. 



ONE HUNDRED LESSONS IN LETTERING 

Lesson No. 54 




Here we have the preUminary formation of 
single stroke Roman, lower case, made w^ith a rigger 
brush, chisel shaped, w^hich may be said to w^ork on 



the same principle as the Hunt 400 lettering pen 

in automatically producing the elementary strokes. 

Serifs have been omitted in this example. 



ONE HUNDRED LESSONS IN LETTERING 

Lesson No. 55 



T 311 




Continuation of the single stroke Roman with 
the position and shape of the serifs indicated by 
dotted Hnes. Tlie letter t in Roman lettering is 
usually made \ the height of the ascenders. These 
examples must be faithfully practiced on different 



sizes of staff ruling, using Nos. 4, 6 and 8 rigger 
brushes, and small letters may be made as high as 
1^ inches by the single stroke method by using larger 
brushes. 



Copyrighted 1920 by The Signs of the Times Pub. Co. 



ONE HUNDRED LESSONS IN LETTERING 

Lesson No. 56 





Outlined or modeled Roman numerals. This writers. The figures 2, 4, 7, have been filled in 
is considered a standard style by the best show card to illustrate the finished appearance. 



ONE HUNDRED LESSONS IN LETTERING 

Lesson No. 57 



T-57/ 

, 5 L 



1Q.26AS 




This is a unique set of numerals made by single 
stroke method. The different heights is an individ- 
ual characteristic which may be dispensed with at 



Copyrighted 1920 by The Signs of the Times Pub. Co. 



the option of the operator. Practice w^ith guide lines 
1 inch apart, 1^ inch and 1^ inch, using different 
size brushes. 



ONE HUNDRED LESSONS IN LETTERING 

Lesson No. 58 




The ability to make good numerals rapidly is 
the chief asset of the show card writer, as he has 
innumerable price tickets to make daily. 

This example of bold Roman Italic numerals 



is effected by using a No. 6 rigger w^ell filled with 
color, and not w^orked dow^n to a sharp chisel shape, 
but w^orked fairly blunt chiseled. 



ONE HUNDRED LESSONS IN LETTERING 

Lesson No. 59 



T3 7/ 





A poster numeral, based on Gothic. Depend- 
ing upon the size these figures may be either single 
stroke or outline construction, as indicated in the 
copy. After sufficient proficiency has been ac- 



quired most of these styles may be produced by the 
single stroke modeled method and the edges and 
sharp points trimmed up afterward. 



Copyrighted 1920 by The Signs of the Times Pub. Co. 



ONE HUNDRED LESSONS IN LETTERING 



Lesson No. 60 




This is the Gothic poster brush letter, very 
popular where extreme bold face lettering is re- 
quired. It is here shown in various stages of con- 
struction. The variations of the elementary 
strokes lend character to the letter and may be 
changed at the option of the operator, providing the 



changes are not too eccentric. Note flat tops on C 
and G. 

For small sizes single stroke of this letter use a 
Style A Speedball pen. Top and base guide lines 
should be ruled and the size of the letters to be made 
should govern size of brush to be used. 



ONE HUNDRED LESSONS IN LETTERING 

Lesson No. 61 







Balance of alphabet shown in Lesson 60. 
These have been blacked up or filled in, showing 
more black letter face than w^hite background. The 
black face w^ould be more pronounced w^ere it not 



for V, W, X, Y grouping together. 

The object of black face poster lettering of 
any description is for that effect — more letter face 
than background. 



Copyrighted 1920 by The Signs of the Times Pub. Co. 



ONE HUNDRED LESSONS IN LETTERING 

Lesson No. 62 



abcdefghijMkmii 



A single stroke poster Gothic, made -with a No. tical elements, as shown in Fig. 5, Lesson 10. The 
8 rigger brush, chisel pointed in the color. Its chief color should be sufficiently thick to prevent spread- 
characteristic is obtained by the addition of blunt ing or flooding the stroke, 
nose compound curve serifs rounded into the ver- 



T57/ 

ONE HUNDRED LESSONS IN LETTERING r / 

Lesson No. 63 



ppqrstuvwxyzsi 



Continuation of lower case alphabet sho-wn in erned by the width of stroke letter desired. This 
Lesson 61. Note close spacing. must be determined by the operator. 

A selection of size of brush to be used is gov- 

Copyrighted 1920 by The Signs of the Times Pub. Co. 



ONE HUNDRED LESSONS IN LETTERING 

Lesson No. 64 



ABCDEFGHUKIM 



The capitals to match lower case brush letters shown in Lessons 62 and 63. 



r 311 

ONE HUNDRED LESSONS IN LETTERING ,^ C 

Lesson No. 65 



NOPQRSTUVWXK 



Continuation of single stroke brush Gothic may be made as large as six inches in height with a 
poster with compound curve serifs. These letters No. 20 rigger brush. 

Copyrighted 1920 by The Signs of the Times Pub. Co. - 



ONE HUNDRED LESSONS IN LETTERING 

Lesson No. 66 







'S 




H 




. ^ 




Illustrating the elementary principles of brush 
outlining or modeling upper case Roman letters. 
The formation of these principles is the same as em- 
bodied in Lessons 48 and 49, which were executed 



with a Speedball pen. Note the brush stroke ele- 
ments and methods of constructing the serifs. The 
principle of accent in all Roman lettering is iden- 
tical regardless of the tool used in the making. 



ONE HUNDRED LESSONS IN LETTERING 

Lesson No. 67 

T7^ 



T S^ I 




Note the principle of accent in Roman letter- 
ing. All vertical strokes are accented except the 
the first element in M, the first and third element in 
N and the third element in U. 

All obliques or strokes drawn downward from 
left to right are accented or heavy lines. 

All obliques or strokes draw^n dow^nw^ard from 

Copyrighted 1920 by The Signs of the Times Pub. Co. 



right to left are thin lines, except in the Z. 

All horizontal elements, like cross lines in A, 
H and T, the serifs are thin lines. The top and bases 
of all oval or circular elements as in B, C, D, G, J, 
O, R, S, P, Q, in the circular or oval elements and 
U are thin; the accent appears heaviest on the par- 
allel center of the oval. 



ONE HUNDRED LESSONS IN LETTERING 



Lesson No. 68 




Primarily the Roman letters consisted of cap- 
itals only. The small letters came into general use 
after the art of printing was invented. Prior to that 
time small Roman letters were w^ritten w^ith broad 



chisel pointed reeds or pens of the stub variety. The 
principle of accent w^as imposed on the letters as 
written w^ith pens of this nature as explained in Les- 
sons 28 and 29, the single stroke pen Roman. 



ONE HUNDRED LESSONS IN LETTERING 



T3 7/ 
.6r (^ 



Lesson No. 69 



i 



<r 




o o 



^ ^ 



aDcaeiffnii Ki m 





Outlined or modeled lower case brush Roman, 
serifs attached, medium ascenders, medium de- 



scenders and additional low descenders attached to 
the same letter for illustration. 



Copyrighted 1920 by The Signs of the Times Pub. Co. 



ONE HUNDRED LESSONS IN LETTERING 

Lesson No. 70 




Continuation of the lower case brush outHned 
or modeled Roman, showing medium and low^ de- 
scenders. The object in illustrating the Roman let- 
ters in outline model is mainly to familiarize the 
student w^ith the correct basic forms of these letters. 
They are thus more easily visualized as models 
from w^hich to create individual styles and concep- 
tions by the single stroke method, either w^ith brush 
or pen. 

For be it known, that the present day letter- 



crafter must be able to produce large quantities of 
work in limited time. To this end w^e have devised 
artistic, commercial modifications of all types of 
letters by the single stroke free hand method. In 
this v/e have been immeasurably aided by moderni- 
zation of lettering devices in the shape of pens, 
brushes, etc. All of w^hich the student must be- 
come familiar w^ith and proficient in the use and 
handling thereof. 



ONE HUNDRED LESSONS IN LETTERING 

Lesson No. 71 



T37/ 




A characteristic line of Roman Italic capitals. 
With the required slant variation these capitals can 
be used to match almost all small Roman Italics, 
also adapted to capitalized groups or paragraphs or 



pages of reading matter wherever semi-ornamental 
effect is desired. Use vv^ide space between lines to 
allow high or low swash terminals w^henever de- 
sired. 



Copyrighted 1920 by The Signs of the Times Pub. Co. 



ONE HUNDRED LESSONS IN LETTERING 

Lesson No. 72 



ab cdef ghijklran 



In this lesson is presented the first of a series 
of single stroke brush Roman letters, designed by 
leading, modern and successful show card writers, 
commercial artists and moving picture title w^riters. 
They are thoroughly practical for commercial pur- 
poses, principally on account of their adaptability 
to rapid execution, combined w^ith legibility and ar- 
tistic appearance w^hen properly arranged in read- 
ing form. 



Hie size of the letters is determined by the 
space in which they go, and the size of the brush to 
be used is governed by the size of the letters. 

In this instance w^e use a No. 4 rigger brush and 
^-inch space staflF. Aligning arrangement is 
omitted herewith in order that the student may test 
his ability on the ruling up for any specified size 
letters. 



ONE HUNDRED LESSONS IN LETTERING 



T31I 



Lesson No. 73 



nopqrs 




ua 



Second half of alphabet in Lesson 72. These 
two lessons should be practiced in different sizes 
with varying dimensions of staff arrangement. Do 

Copyrighted 1920 by The Signs of the Times Pub. Co. 



not attempt to crowd too many letters of a given 
height in too short a space. Wide spacing is often 
used to denote emphasis, as is Italics. 



ONE HUNDRED LESSONS IN LETTERING 

Lesson No. 74 



ABCDEFGHTJKLM 



Capitals to match Lessons 72 and 73, which should also be practiced in different sizes. 



ONE HUNDRED LESSONS IN LETTERING 

Ltesson No. 75 



31] 

,G\ Id 




Second half of alphabet in Lesson 74. Proceed as designated, making in various sizes. 

Copyrighted 1920 by The Signs of -{he-Times Pib. Co. - ij . -• i. .;,* .,,.,,*.;.;- 



ONE HUNDRED LESSONS IN LETTERING 



Lesson No. 76 



Addsd Une_ {hi: ihdiAscendQvs 




n 




^ 



ignrfj^itnnix 



Illustrating an eccentric single stroke brush 
Roman, practical and very popular with many pic- 
ture title writers. Note the serifs used, w^hich are 
illustrated and explained in Fig. 10, Lesson 11. 



Copy in different sizes using same size brush. 
No. 4 rigger, as this is a fine line or light face letter 
no matter w^hat the size is. 



ONE HUNDRED LESSONS IN LETTERING 



Lesson No. 77 



T 3 77 



opqrstuVvv^vw 




Second half of alphabet 76. 
structed. 

Copyrighted 1920 by The Signs of the Times Pub. Co. 



Proceed as in- Endeavor to cultivate a free, swingy stroke of 

the brush. 



OiYE HUNDRED LESSONS IN LETTERING 

Lesson No. 78 




BCDEFGHIJK 




Caps to match L'?ssons 76 and 77. 



ONE HUNDRED LESSONS IN LETTERING 



Lesson No. 79 






ndpqrstu\Aa7xyV 




Second half of alphabet shown in preceding 
copy. Note the swash line finish on terminals of the 
N, W, Y, Z, the tail of the R and Q, and the swash 



top of the T. The U is similar in finish to the small 
letter. To designate capitals are horizontal top 
serifs. 



Copyrighted 1920 by The Signs of the Times Pub. Co. 



HIOH ASCENDERS- /IDOEDLIME. 



ONE HUNDRED LESSONS IN LETTERING 

Lesson No. 80 




mnn 



The Italics to match Lessons 76 and 77. These 
have high ascenders and medium descenders, swash 
line serifs on b, d, f, k, and the terminal serifs of m 



and n may be s'washed if desirable to spacing ar- 
rangement. The hook on the g is also swashed. 

In practice, rule slant guide lines as designated. 



ONE HUNDRED LESSONS IN LETTERING 

Lesson No. 81 



16 1/ 



n opqrstuvwxyz^ 



Second half of alphabet 80. Diversion in sec- last element of the v, w and y may be swashed as 
ond element of n sw^ashed which may also be used show^n in the small letters of Lesson 77. 
in making the h, m, a and character &. Also the 

Copyrighted 1920 by The Signs of the Times Pub. Co. 



ONE HUNDRED LESSONS IN LETTERING 

Lesson No. 82 




Eccentric Italic caps to match Lessons 80 and 
81. These may be effectively changed in appear- 
ance by adopting different degrees of slant which 
in the practice thereof should be preceded by pen- 
ciling slant guide lines with a "T" square, with the 



"T" engaging the base of the draw^ing board and 
the paper thumb-tacked to the board in the degree 
of slant desired. Note the J is made with a medium 
descender. Also the middle stroke of the N 
sw^ashed. 



is 



ONE HUNDRED LESSONS IN LETTERING 

Lesson No. 83 



r3 7j 

^6\ lo 




x._ 



Second half of Italic capital alphabet. 
Q and R terniinals ; swash top of T. 



Swash The terminals of V, U and Y may be swash 

' finished the same style as in Lesson 79. 



Copyrighted 1920 by The Signs of the Times Pub. Co. 




ONE HUNDRED LESSONS IN LETTERING 

Lesson No. 84 




Another artistic light face single stroke brush 
variant of Roman lower case in which a changed 
appearance is effected by the attachment of curved 



serifs as illustrated and explained in Fig. 3, Lesson 
10. Further variation may be effected by sw^ashing 
terminals of the a, h, and m. 



ONE HUNDRED LESSONS IN LETTERING 

Lesson No. 85 



T57/ 






Continuation of Lesson 84. The dainty little 
peculiarities of finishing up a letter is largely a mat- 
ter of individual technic, and in brush work can 
only be successfully acquired by persistent effort 



and practice on the part of the student after having 
studied the peculiarities of manipulating a brush 
vsrhich is largely instrumental in imparting individ- 
uality to any style, size or form of letter. 



Copyrighted 1920 by The Signs of the Times Pub. Co. 



ONE HUNDRED LESSONS IN LETTERING 

Lesson No. 86 



Capitals to match Lessons 84 and 85, same face, or stroke, than the small letters by using a next 
style serif. These caps are made slightly heavier size larger brush. 



ONE HUNDRED LESSONS IN LETTERING 

Lesson No. 87 



T'SIJ 
.ft <^ . 




Continuation of alphabet in Lesson 86. The 
chief characteristic of this letter is imparted by the 
compound curve serif, which is accomplished by a 



dainty manipulation of the brush held vertically be- 
tw^een the thumb and tip of the index or first finger. 



Copyrighted 1920 by The Signs of the Times Pub. Co. 



ONE HUNDRED LESSONS IN LETTERING 

Lesson No. 88 




A popular single stroke brush variant of Ro- 
man. This is one of the most rapid styles of single 
stroke Roman letters, as practically all the elements 
(including the serifs) are made with a single swash 
stroke, eliminating the necessity of a second opera- 
tion in attaching the serifs w^hich is obviously a time- 



saving expedient. Hiese serifs are shov/n in Fig. 6, 
Lesson 11. 

The varying degree of thickness in the strokes 
is imparted by either increasing or decreasing the 
pressure on the brush point as the occasion de- 
mands. : ■• 



ONE HUNDRED LESSONS IN LETTERING 

Lesson No. 89 



T37/ 




Continuation of the small alphabet of Lesson 
88. A desirable change in appearance may be ef- 
fected in this alphabet by making all the base line 

••• Copyrighted 1920 by The Signs of the Times Pub. Co. 



serifs straight horizontal, leaving the top serifs as 
they are in the copy. 



ONE HUNDRED LESSONS IN LETTERING 

Lesson No. 90 






Caps to match Lessons 88 and 89, Note the low cross bars of A, E, F, G and low tail of K. 



.ONE HUNDRED LESSONS IN LETTERING 

Lesson No. 91 







Continuation of alphabet No. 90. All these exercises should be practiced on a different scale of sizes. 



Copyrighted 1920 by The' Signs of the Times Pub. Co. 



ONE HUNDRED LESSONS IN LETTERING 



Lesson No. 92 




o • 



-^ 



IIKIIIIII 



This illustrates a modern variant of modeled 
Roman. Serifs are of compound curve form round- 
ed into the vertical elements. Cross bars, tops and 
base lines are also rounded into the vertical which 



intensifies the modeled effect. This is more notice- 
able in the capitals than in the small letters. Use a 
No. 6 rigger brush. 



ONE HUNDRED LESSONS IN LETTERING 

Lesson No. 93 



TBI I 




r:slu\^i¥xy:z 




Continuation of alphabet in Lesson 92. Note 
that the down-ward obHque elements of V and W 



are slightly curved and rounded into the junction. 



Copyrighted 1920 by The Signs of the Times Pub. Co. 



ONE HUNDRED LESSONS IN LETTERING 

Lesson No. 94 




Capitals to match Lessons 92 and 93. Note 
the junctions of cross bars, tops and base Unes and 



all the serifs are rounded into the angles formed by 
junctions. 



ONE HUNDRED LESSONS IN LETTERING 

Lesson No. 95 



.5 ^ 




Continuation of modeled capital alphabet Les- 
son 94. These are made in the size shown with a 

Copyrighted 1920 by The Signs of the Times Pub. Co. 



No. 6 rigger brush worked down to a fine chisel 
point in the color. 



ONE HUNDRED LESSONS IN LETTERING 

Lesson No. 96 



abcdefgfii/klmnopqrstuvwxyz 



An artistic conception of Italics made witli a For caps to match use any swashy Romeui 

music pen, swashy effect throughout with a varying Italic made on the same slant as the small letters 
degree of thickness in the dow^n strokes. show^n here. 



ONE HUNDRED LESSONS IN LETTERING 

Lesson No. 97 



,G: L 




mm 




Italic with single brush strokes. Note straight 
horizontal line serifs on base line of h, i, k, 1, m, n, 
p, r. Swash line serifs of tops of all letters except 



Copyrighted 1920 by The Signs of the Times Pub. Co. 



p, t, u and y, high and low extended letters, except 
p, t. For caps to match, use any plain or sw^ashy 
Roman Italics, made on the same slant. 



ONE HUNDRED LESSONS IN LETTERING 



Lesson No. 98 




3&I tb^tlcmx^: 




Elementary strokes and letters of a modified 
variant of Old English Text, most easily and rapid- 
ly made by the swing stroke method, using a Hunt 
400, No. 1 largest size lettering pen. Larger sizes 



may be made with flat marking pens or rigger 
brushes w^orked dow^n to a flat chisel shape. This 
plate show^s the elementary strokes or principles 
envolved in text lettering. 



ONE HUNDRED LESSONS IN LETTERING 

Lesson No. 99 



T31} 




Continuation of text alphabet Lesson 98. 
These letters should be practiced on different size 
scales. Tlie regular staff guide is used for text let- 
tering, but for small letters additional guide lines 

Copyrighted 1920 by The Signs of the Times Pub. Co. 



may be added, as shown in the cut. These are used 
in preliminary practice to preserve uniformity of 
depth in the angles where they join the vertical ele- 
ments at top and base. 



ONE HUNDRED LESSONS IN LETTERING 



Lesson No. 100 




'BXT(5'£i33'££M 




Modified text capitals to match small letters, 
Lessons 98 and 99. 

Text caps are never used except singly wher- 
ever capitalization is necessary, or as initial letters, 



as they are too intricate and ornamental to be leg- 
ible in masses of reading matter. Use top and base 
lines vv^ith additional inside guide lines for junction 
points of angles w^ith verticals. 



ONE HUNDRED LESSONS IN LETTERING 



T31I 



SUGGESTIONS ON THE PREPARATION AND USE OF 
COLORS, PENS, BRUSHES, ETC. 



Aside from personal ability to execute, there are 
numerous difficulties which arise from the improper 
use of lettering pens and brushes, and the lack of 
knowledge in preparing colors. 

The word "colors" is used regardless of tint or 
hue and implies any paint used by the letterer. 

Almost any ordinary dry color, in powder form, 
may be reduced to brushable shape by simply mix- 
ing with sufficient mucilage to form a thick paste, 
add a small quantity of glycerine, then thin with 
water to a consistency that will flow with an even 
pull from the brush stroke yet be sufficiently gummy 
to hold the hair ends together either in pointed 
or chisel edge shape, depending upon the style of 
letters attempted. 

The same colors may be used for pen lettering by 
the addition of sufficient water to permit a free flow 
from the pen. 

Dry colors that have a gritty or coarse grain 
should be ground fine while in the paste form. 
This is most easily accomplished by placing a small 



quantity of the color paste on a slab of marble or 
plate glass and working the lumps and grit out 
with a flexible blade case knife or artist's spatula. 

For mixing white, use either Dry French Zinc, 
American, or Green Seal Zinc. 

For black, use Swedish Drop Black, or a beauti- 
ful smooth velvety blue black may be obtained by 
reducing Germantown Lampblack to a paste with 
Sanford's Royal Crown Mucilage. A small quantity 
of denatured alcohol and glycerine will help the 
process as lampblack is rather greasy. Add to this 
paste about one-fifth quantity of dry ultramarine 
blue. Mix thoroughly and thin with water as usual. 
A selection of tints and colors as selected may be 
prepared in the same manner. 

There are various ready-to-use colors and inks 
on the market if one is not prepared to make up 
his own mixtures. 

There are no colored fluid lettering inks made 
that are thoroughly opaque when dry. Colored 
inks are transparent, do not dry evenly nor cover 
thoroughly. This condition is due to lack of pig- 



ment body in the dyes used in making ink. Con- 
sequently, if colors are wanted for pen work it is 
necessary to use very finely ground dry colors. 
Prepare as for brush work and keep thinned with 
water to the proper flowing consistency, and fre- 
quently stirred to keep the color pigment in solu- 
tion. This can be best determined by experiment, 
as no two colors act exactly alike for this purpose. 

For brushes, use a selection of sizes as found 
necessary. Do not experiment with or use cheap 
brushes. They are most expensive in the long run. 
For water color lettering, such as show card writ- 
ing, poster lettering, or lettering for reproduction 
purposes, use standard brands of Red Sable Riggers. 

Never trim a brush by cutting the ends with a 
knife or scissors — wet the hair, smooth the tip or 
straggling hairs over the edge of a card and file the 
hairs off smooth with a piece of fine emery paper 
pasted on a flat strip of wood. This may also be 
used to smooth up a rough or scratchy lettering pen. 

— W. H. GORDON. 



Copyrighted 1920 by The Signs of the Times Pub. Co. 



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